QAS skateboarding young gun secures invite to the world stage

14-year-old QAS Individual Scholarship holder, Keegan Palmer, took out the top prize in the men’s competition at the 2018 Oceania Skateboarding Championships in Sydney yesterday. The first stop of the 2018 Vans Park Series, Palmer executed a show-stopping performance with flawless runs securing him an invite to the Pro Tour Series World Championships in China in October.

The tour is the first of its kind with World Skate, the IOC-recognised international federation, and Street League Skateboarding, the leading commercial enterprise, endorsing the new globally recognised SLS World Tour and Super Crown World Championships in the wake of skate boarding’s inclusion into the 2020 Tokyo Olympic program.

Originally from Currumbin on the Gold Coast, 14-year-old Palmer now calls Los Angeles home, relocating with his family to give him the best opportunity for success in the sport. Currently ranked third in the world, the move to LA “the unequivocal home of skateboarding” will hopefully provide Keegan with the training environment and regular competition he needs to push him to the top spot heading into Tokyo 2020. Olympic qualification will be a points based system with the qualification window opening in January 2019.

In other news, 18-year-old Queenslander Taniah Meyers came sixth in the women’s competition. She still has the opportunity to qualify for the World Championships at international competitions in the coming months.

Be sure to follow QAS social media for updates on Keegan and Taniah’s results throughout the year.